You are not in an alternate universe. Nelson Mandela didn't die in prison, it's spelled "Berenstain" Bears, Sinbad never made a genie movie called named "Shazam," and there's a huge enthusiast community for the Dodge Dart. Yes, the 2013-to-2016 Dodge Dart. Our own Andy Kalmowitz wrote a joke letter from the perspective of someone who purchased a new Dodge Dart in 2022 because the concept is inherently funny. Of course there was an unsold Dart six years after production ended, and who in the world
would buy it?
Here's the thing though: Darts aren't bad. They're pretty beloved, actually, and not in some "I drive a Yugo because it's funny" kind of way, either. Go into the Dodge Dart Forum, a thing that exists, to find upbeat discussions of Dart builds and maintenance, and info on Dart events. Byron Hurd at The Drive stirred Dart fans this year when he joked that of the 299,000 Darts in existence, maybe seven are rust-free. His inbox was inundated with Dart aficionados telling him about its greatness.
Perhaps the Dart's greatest sin is getting compared to the OG tiny modern Chrysler: the Dodge Neon. You may remember the Neon's adorable face in 1990s ads that greeted us with a "Hi." It hit its apex with the SRT-4, offering budget speed that rivaled pricier sports sedans. Then the Neon knight in shining armor disappeared and Dodge unveiled the Caliber, which Consumer Reports summed up with the following: "The engine is noisy, and fit and finish are sub par. Ride quality is sound but unexceptional and handling is lackluster, though ultimately secure." Dang, Consumer Reports, why don't you poke it in the eye and give it a paper cut, too?
Read more: These Are The Car-Related Movie Mistakes That Really Bother You
Chrysler Just Couldn't Win
Dodge was planning to replace the Caliber with the Hornet, a name yoinked from defunct AMC. It was no SC/360, though, but a boxy compact. Unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show, its timing was as good as a belch during a pause in a eulogy, as the Great Recession hit in 2008 and Chrysler declared bankruptcy in 2009. (Don't worry, Dodge got a Hornet eventually, though tariffs currently play heck with the Hornet, aka rebadged Alfa Romeo Tonale.)
After Stellantis absorbed Chrysler, a tiny Dodge was back in development, this time using the historic Dart moniker. It got the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and Car and Driver reviewed its handling positively: "The great news is that the solid underpinnings and communicative electrically assisted ZF rack-and-pinion power steering engineered by Alfa chassis pros are happily at work here. The Dart's strut-type front suspension, independent trailing-arm rear axle, and monotube dampers are tuned with an emphasis on roadholding."
Excitement built around the release of the Dart. It seemed like the Neon's second coming, and a hot SRT version seemed inevitable. But new owners discovered a bevy of problems that required recalls. Cars could roll away while in Park thanks to faulty shifter cables, brake boosters could fail, engines could stall, airbags might not deploy, and transmissions could suddenly shift to neutral. Also, buyers hoping to enjoy the promised nine-speed automatic transmission had only manual transmissions for the first few months, then got six-speed automatics that were either the unreliable Fiat dual dry-clutch or the Powertech with the aforementioned shifter cable problem. Combine these first-year teething problems with the fact that Americans were switching to crossovers and SUVs, and the Dart was in trouble.
First Impressions Knocked The Dart Down, But Lasting Impressions Lifted It Up
The Dart's peak sales year was 2015, when it moved 87,392 cars in the U.S. That same year, Toyota sold Americans 363,332 Corollas. Chrysler's once hotly anticipated compact sat unwanted. Even last year, a dealer sold someone a brand-new, never-owned Dart because they could still be found unsold. Darts became a punch line.
But Darts didn't deserve their fate. You could get them with six-speed manuals at a time when Civics and Corollas had five or even four. Car and Driver complained about the torque-less 1.4-liter turbo, but the optional engine was a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four that made 184 hp to the 1.4's 160, and it had decent lagless punch. Following the Dart's 2016 cancellation, Mark Phelan wrote in USA Today: "It was good, however. Much better than the inept Dodge Caliber that preceded it. The Dart had appealing looks, a roomy interior, fine handling and a very good navigation and voice-recognition system."
Also, Car Complaints shows the vast majority of issues afflict 2013 Darts specifically, with subsequent Darts having few problems. And while there are plenty of negative owner reviews on Edmunds, the positive reviews are absolutely glowing, with phrases such as "The dart has got to be the most underrated car I have ever driven" and "A nearly perfect car."
Like AMC's Gremlin and Pontiac's Aztek, time has been kind to Darts, and the hipsterish "I liked it before it was cool" crowd has started winning the rest of us over. Parts, especially for the engine, are getting pricier as attrition sets in, but people are so gung ho about their Darts that Modern Performance thought nothing of buying a pair of Darts specifically to develop replacement parts and modifications for them.
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox...
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
